EU-backed projects join forces to tackle obesity crisis

Over the past decades, obesity has reached epidemic proportions, now affecting more than 1 billion people worldwide. Childhood obesity, in particular, is rising at an alarming rate. According to the World Obesity Federation, the number of children with obesity is expected to double between 2020 and 2035. Obesity carries serious health consequences, strains national healthcare systems, and reduces overall quality of life. In response to this growing health crisis, nine EU-backed projects have joined forces in an unprecedented collaborative effort, leading to the formation of OBEClust: the European Cluster of Obesity Research Projects. These innovative research projects focus on identifying risk factors associated with overweight and obesity, promoting prevention and behavioral interventions, as well as developing personalised solutions to maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle throughout life.

More impact through collaboration

The formation of OBEClust totals € 80M in research funding from the European Union, the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) under the UK government's Horizon Europe funding guarantee. This initiative underscores the importance of cross-disciplinary and cross-country collaboration in addressing the obesity crisis. By pooling scientific and technical expertise, resources, and innovative approaches, the cluster aims to create impactful, evidence-based solutions that will benefit individuals and communities across Europe. This initiative aligns with the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA)'s mission to enhance health outcomes by addressing critical health challenges such as obesity.

With over 1 billion people affected by obesity worldwide, the time to act is now. OBEClust brings together a multidisciplinary network of experts and resources to find real solutions that will benefit millions across Europe and beyond."

Paulo Oliveira, OBEClust's current chair and coordinator of the PAS GRAS project

OBEClust projects are committed to jointly strengthening and aligning methods and outputs to achieve effective interventions and policy guidelines for obesity prevention and treatment. With a focus on impactful collaboration, the cluster aims to create lasting solutions, and more updates on its progress and contributions will follow.

Partner projects & focus areas:

Preventing and addressing childhood & adolescent obesity

• BIO-STREAMS: Multi-Pillar Framework for Children's Anti-Obesity Behavior Using an EU Biobank, Micro Moments, and Mobile Recommendation Systems

• Obelisk: Fighting Childhood Obesity to Stay Healthy Over the Life Course

• PAS GRAS: De-Risking Metabolic, Environmental, and Behavioral Determinants of Obesity in Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults

Early identification & prevention of obesity

• eprObes: Preventing Lifetime Obesity by Early Risk-Factor Identification, Prognosis, and Intervention

• BETTER4U: Preventing obesity through Biologically and bEhaviorally Tailored inTERventions for You

Lifestyle & behavioral interventions

• HealthyW8: Empowering Healthy Lifestyle Behavior through Personalized Intervention Portfolios to Prevent and Control Obesity during Vulnerable Life Stages

• SHIFT2HEALTH: Development and Evaluation of Nutritional Strategies to Reduce and Prevent Obesity in Shift Workers

Obesity risks & determinants

• OBCT: Obesity: Biological, Sociocultural, and Environmental Risk Trajectories

Diet-related non-communicable diseases

• CoDiet: Combatting Diet-Related Non-Communicable Diseases Through Enhanced Surveillance